KINGS LOOKING LOST SO FAR...

What has happened to Yuvraj? The Prince of Punjab seems to be lost after losing captaincy to Sangakkara. After making just 4 vs Daredevils, he made 9 vs Bangalore. Sanga hasn't been engamatic either when it comes to captaining the Punjab team... Two defeats in a row. Are Kings going Knightriders' way (Knightriders of the first two editions, of course. This time they have impressed barring the loss in their 3rd game)

Bangalore: Jacques Kallis (89; 55 balls, 8x4, 5x6) and Robin Uthappa fired Bangalore Royal Challengers to a thumping eight-wicket victory over Kings XI Punjab in match 7 of the IPL 2010 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium here today. Chasing a stiff 204 runs for victory, the Bangalore Royal Challengers romped home in 18.5 overs.


Kallis, who snatched the Orange Cap from Ravi Bopara in the same match, blasted a quick-fire 55-ball 89 (8x4, 5x6) while Uthappa slammed the second fastest 50 (4x4, 4x6) in 17 deliveries in IPL as Bangalore Royal Challengers recorded their first win in this year’s tournament. Uthappa missed the distinction of hitting the fastest half-century by two balls which is still in the name of Adam Gilchrist of Deccan Chargers (50 off 17 balls). Incidentally, this was Bangalore Royal Challengers’ second win, while the Kings XI Punjab are now staring down the barrel after their second successive loss in two matches.

Man of the match Kallis and Manish Pandey (38 off 26 balls) gave the Royal Challengers Bangalore a solid start, sharing a 74 run opening partnership in 8.1 overs. The dominant Uthappa was severe on medium-pacer Sreesanth, taking 25 runs with three sixes and one four racing to his 50. Uthappa though fell soon after with debutant left-arm spinner Bipul Sharma taking his prized wicket. Kallis and Uthappa had by then added 69 runs for the second wicket. But thereafter Kallis went on a rampage in Sharma’s third over. He struck three sixes and one four as the inexperienced bowler went for 23 runs in the crucial 18th over.

Earlier, Manvinder Bisla and Ravi Bopara put on a 129 run opening stand for the Kings XI Punjab in 14.1 overs, which helped the team from Mohali post an imposing 203/3 in 20 overs. Bisla batted aggressively for his 51-ball 75 (7x4, 1x6). He brought up his maiden 50 in 36 balls. Bisla was finally out when he was caught in the deep off Kallis, who went for 23 runs in his first two overs.

Bopara, on the other hand, batted confidently to record his second successive 50 in the tournament. He played some audacious shots in his 50-ball 77 (9x4, 2x6). The England opener, who struck three successive fours off Praveen Kumar, was dismissed in the last over. He pulled a slower one from Praveen Kumar straight into Anil Kumble’s hands at square leg who juggled the ball for a brief moment before holding the catch. Left-hander Yuvraj Singh was sent back cheaply for 9, pulling Kallis to Eoin Morgan at deep square leg. Mahela Jayawardene was brilliant in the end, scoring a 13-ball 26.

For the Royal Challengers, Praveen Kumar and Kumble conceded over 40 runs in their four overs while the South African bowlers Dale Styen and Kallis were also punished. The Bangalore Royal Challengers, who lost the first match to the Kolkata Knight Riders, made two changes bringing in wicketkeeper Mark Boucher and medium pacer Vinay Kumar, in place of Roelof van der Merwe and Sreevats Goswami.